A/N - The wait wasn't quite as long as it has been before but I'm still sorry to make you guys wait. I know what it's like to be invested in a story and have to wait forever for updates. It's hard and I hate it but real life just gets in the way a lot. I can still assure you that I will finish my stories and that you are welcome to hound me all you would like.
I hope you enjoy this chapter. No, things still aren't resolved for our favorite non couple but hopefully you can begin to see a little light at the end of the tunnel. I do hope to get in at least one more update before Christmas vacation is over. It could happen. Things have been fairly uneventful.
Thank you so much for your reviews on this story and my others. I am still astonished that people consider what I write worthy of reviews. I appreciate each one of them. Please continue to let me know what you think. Also, if you have ideas, let me know. I'm always open to suggestions.
Thanks so much to MickeyBoggs for proof reading and to Thnx4theGum and StefJunkiecat for their help with the story line. I really appreciate you guys.
I hope each and every one of you have a wonderful Christmas or other holiday. ;-)
Chapter 53
Seeley Booth left his partner's apartment hesitantly. He knew something was up. He could read it in her eyes. Her eyes were distant and disconnected. They carried a look he hadn't seen from her in a couple of years and he didn't like it. He did, however, know his partner well enough to know when she needed to work through something and when he shouldn't push. He'd push her later, but for the night, he'd give her some space.
He did think about camping out on her doorstep but opted against it. He figured he needed to get a decent night's sleep, if it would come, and he could show up at her place in the morning with coffee and bagels. She'd told him she would be out of work the next day but he knew his partner. She wouldn't stay home unless something was seriously wrong. She seemed to be tense and tired, but the best he could tell, she was alright. He knew her and he knew she'd push herself to the limit. When she reached that limit, he'd be there to help her. For now, patience was his best strategy.
He took a deep breath to help him resist the urge to make her talk to him and then headed down the stairs. He'd head home and come back the next day. The next day would be better; at least he hoped it would be.
****
Temperance Brennan managed to drift off to sleep for a few hours without incident. Thanks to the medication, she didn't even stir until around 4:00 am. At first, the pain breaking through the cloud of medication didn't completely wake her. It just pulled her out of her much needed, deep slumber to that place between sleep and awake. She could feel the pain, she knew it was there but at first it wasn't enough to encourage any movement or action on her part, she could continue to rest.
As the next hour or so went on, the pain continued to mount. She didn't want to move. She wanted to stay in the warm confines of her recliner forever but finally around 5:15 she couldn't manage any longer. She gently pulled herself from her little cave and headed into the kitchen to take another, very large dose of medication, one that would hopefully knock her back out until at least lunch time.
She didn't even waste the time or energy on putting her boot back on, despite her doctor's instructions. She swallowed a few pills, made a short trip to the restroom and was back in the recliner very quickly. She hurt but more than anything else, she was tired. She didn't want to face the world or her own thoughts. She just wanted to sleep. If she was asleep, her thoughts didn't haunt her, not when she was medicated anyway.
Under typical circumstances, Temperance Brennan had very vivid dreams. Many of those dreams, at least in the last year, had been about her partner. She had silly dreams, happy dreams, and terrifying dreams about him. She was thankful at the moment that the medication seemed to halt those dreams. She wasn't sure she could handle being haunted by her thoughts both while awake and asleep. She knew that eventually, she'd have to face the issue and the thoughts that haunted her, but for the time being, she was content to let the medication dull both the throbbing in her chest and the pulsing thoughts in her heart and mind.
It was only a few minutes until she was sleeping once again. Each breath seemed to come more and more easily until she was no longer conscious of any pain, only the sweet relief of sleep.
***
Seeley Booth flipped his poker chip in the air as he waited for his partner to come to the door. He'd called the lab and her cell earlier. Angela told him she wasn't coming in today and Brennan didn't pick up her cell. He knew where to find her. He at least granted her the opportunity to come to the door in her own time by knocking. He would wait exactly two minutes and if she didn't come to the door, he was going in. He stood patiently holding the bagels under his arm, coffee in his left hand, while flipping his poker chip with his right one.
After 45 seconds, his patience had run out. She'd be at the door by that time if she had any intention of coming, she'd already be there. He recalled the time, just a few months ago, when they had the early morning outhouse case and he found her in her apartment with that guy. Even then, she was at the door within 30 seconds, bed head and all. She wasn't one to be ashamed of her current situation, no matter what it was.
She still wasn't at the door by the time he stopped his spiraling thoughts so he did what any good "partner" would do. He took his key, opened the door, and entered. Obviously, if she didn't answer the door, she needed him.
Honestly, upon opening the door, he expected her to be in the shower or soaking in the tub. He was surprised, however, when he immediately noticed that she was in the recliner, the amazing recliner he'd fallen in love with the night before. Her curls were scattered along the top of the leather and she was completely still. At that moment, he had no idea why she would be sleeping in the recliner. He knew that it was the most comfortable thing on the earth, but he couldn't imagine the always logical Temperance Brennan opting to sleep in a recliner. 'Maybe she's the one who is a constant surprise,' he thought to himself as he came to stand beside the recliner.
In that split second, he knew why she'd slept in the recliner. He stilled in utter shock at the sight before him. "What the hell?" he said loudly enough he expected to be met with a pair of crystal blue eyes but they never opened. His next action could be considered a complete invasion of her personal space. He didn't care though. He needed to see why the heck she needed ice packs on her chest. He'd been with her for hours the previous night and she didn't say a word about hurting anywhere. 'Way to be observant, Seeley,' he thought to himself. He prided himself on being able to read people and he completely missed this one.
He carefully, calmly lifted the blue, now almost room temperature ice pack from his partner's chest and winced as he saw a very large, very mean bruise adorning her rib cage. He had dreamed of the time when he would get to look under her clingy top and get a glimpse of what he knew would be soft, beautiful skin but he didn't expect it to happen under these circumstances.
Steam rose from his ears as he thought about their current situation. She'd lied to him. She was hurt and didn't tell him. 'Interaction,' he huffed as he recalled her words from the previous night. 'She had an interaction with something that's for sure but it sure as heck wasn't a drug.' He studied her bruises for just a few more seconds. They looked awful and painful. He'd broken ribs before and knew how it felt. From the looks of her rib cage, what he could see of it, she'd broken more than one rib.
He thought for a few minutes more, still studying the sleeping anthropologist. He wasn't exactly sure what he should do. Should he wake her up and yell at her, wait until she woke up and interrogate her, or get her a new ice pack and hold her hand. Finally, after a lot of thought he chose a combo deal. He knew she probably needed a new ice pack but he didn't want to wake her. He grabbed her some new ice from the freezer and situated it on her ribs. He then decided he'd do a little bit of work around her apartment and later he'd watch a hockey game on TV or something.
****
He worked for an hour or so. He'd called Cam and Cullen letting them both know that he was going to take another day off. Cullen couldn't argue, after all, he'd just been shot in the arm. Some agents would take a week or so off for a flesh wound. He might as well take some time. He wouldn't have taken the time if he didn't know for sure that his partner needed him. She needed him at the moment and he needed to talk to her. He needed to know why she had omitted this piece of information. He thought back to the previous night. He should have seen it. She didn't move at all unless completely necessary. She kept her back straight and tended to keep her arm across her chest as if guarding her ribs. He should have seen it but he didn't. He wanted to kick himself for that.
He walked back into her bedroom to make her bed and pulled out his phone. Maybe Angela would know what happened. He called her and had a very brief conversation and quickly discovered that she was clueless as well. She'd seen Brennan but didn't notice anything wrong. She'd been pretty self -consumed with her cold. Booth couldn't quite get a read on her reaction but she seemed to be concerned about her friend and promised to come over later to check on her. She'd been to the doctor earlier and got a shot so she was feeling much better.
He hung up the phone and finished straightening her bedroom and then loaded her dishwasher. He was utterly confused about his actions at the moment. He was furious at his partner but still found himself compelled to do the simple tasks for her to save her any possible pain. He knew why he felt that way. He knew he loved her; it was that simple. He just didn't know how to act on it. He was very close to telling her but now this reversion put a damper on the plans. He'd have to figure it out but first he needed to talk to her. He needed to get the truth.
****
After finishing up the final few tasks, Booth had plopped onto Brennan's couch. He didn't know how long it would be until she woke up but he checked his watch and it was a little after 10 am. He'd just have to wait. In some ways, he felt like he was on a stakeout waiting for the criminal to make a move. He'd have to make a conscious effort not to treat Brennan like a criminal. She was so damned logical he figured she had some reason for lying to him. It was probably stupid but she had a reason. She always had a reason.
He kept the volume on the TV low and flipped aimlessly through the plethora of "Are you my baby's daddy" talk shows, court programming and children's cartoons. Finally, he landed on reruns of "Who's the Boss." He always liked that show as a child but for some reason now, he didn't like it. The female lead infuriated him and he just felt bad for Tony.
Finally, 45 minutes later, his partner began to stir. He immediately sensed some discomfort from her. Her normally smooth forehead was wrinkled and she placed the arm that had been above her head protectively over her rib cage. 'Pain meds must be wearing off,' Booth thought to himself.
Booth knew she'd wake up soon. He could just tell. He had to fight back the urge to wake her and also had to fight the urge to jump up and get her some meds to make her more comfortable. He needed to talk to her and needed her to stay awake long enough to give him the truth.
Thankfully, it was only about 5 minutes before those crystal blue eyes popped open. "Booth?" she said with a wince. "What. . . What are you doing here?" she asked as she straightened herself out slightly.
Booth's blood boiled at the question. "What am I doing here. . . Care to tell me what the hell you're doing here? Why you have bruises the size of Texas on your rib cage and can't take a breath without wincing?" he ranted. "I came here to check on you. . . I stayed because I want the truth."
Temperance Brennan closed her eyes against the pain and anger she was currently subject to. 'Damn it,' she thought to herself. 'I never should have given him that key. You know what,' her thoughts got the best of her. 'It doesn't matter if I gave him a key or not. . . He would have just broken down my door.'
"Bones, you better not go back to sleep on me right now," he practically yelled. "I deserve some answers out of you."
She took a deep breath – big mistake. She ended up wincing loudly. "Just give me a second, okay?" Her tone was reserved and almost scared. Booth couldn't get a good read on it. He could tell she was hurting but he had to resist the urge to help her out right now. He needed to know the reason she was holding back. He would never get that if he just let everything slide.
She took just a few minutes, put her boot back on, and headed to the restroom. Her ribs hurt but seemed to be a little better than the day before. For that, she was thankful. She freshened up a little bit. It was amazing how much of a difference clean teeth and a freshly washed face could do for a person's demeanor.
She made her way back into the living room. Instead of climbing into the recliner, she sat in the stiff armchair. She hoped maybe Booth would jump into "the little piece of heaven" and fall asleep so she wouldn't have to answer his questions. No such luck, he stayed situated on the couch and never once removed his eyes from her.
When she was reseated, he cleared his throat and broke the silence. "So, Bones, got anything you'd like to tell me?" His tone was very serious. "Like how the hell did you manage to do that to yourself and why on earth you didn't call me? How about whether or not you are okay or have even seen a doctor, Temperance," he used her first name in hopes that it would convey his frustration.
At that very moment, lots of emotions that lay just beneath the surface over took her and a simple tear rolled down her cheek. She was completely confused. She used her thumb and wiped the lone tear away and faced her partner. "Where would you like me to start, Booth?" she asked. She tried to keep her tone clinical and void of all emotions.
"How about what happened after you left the hospital in a such a hurry on Wednesday night," he said. He'd seen the tear but consciously allowed his anger to stop him from jumping up and hugging her like his heart wanted so badly to do.
"Well, Angela brought me home and as I mentioned," she began to explain, "I had an interaction that caused me a great deal of discomfort."
"Interaction, interaction my butt, Bones," he almost yelled at her. "Quit trying to evade the question with your scientific mumbo jumbo and just tell me what the hell happened."
"Fine," she said. "I wasn't thinking clearly," she hoped he wouldn't read too much into that part and wonder what had distracted her. She almost never had problems with her reasoning skills, especially when she wasn't medicated. She just allowed those words to slip out and quickly had to rephrase in effort to cover. "I wasn't paying attention to my actions and I put my entire weight on my left foot. When I did," she went on, "I fell backwards. Apparently, my ankle joint isn't strong enough to support the weight of my body," she continued to explain. "Upon falling backward, my back and rib cage contacted the arm of that chair," she motioned to the offending chair. "It was quite painful but I am recovering satisfactorily," she finished hoping he wouldn't question any further.
"That's it?" he questioned.
She rolled her eyes. She should have known his alpha male tendencies wouldn't allow him to withhold questioning. "Well, to answer your other questions," she decided to roll the answers out as quickly as he'd asked them. "Yes, I saw a doctor. He said that I loosened the ankle joint slightly and my. . .interaction with the chair fractured three ribs," she didn't look him in the eye as she spoke. "I tried calling Angela who was busy with Hodgins. I didn't call you because you had recently received a work related injury and I assumed you needed time to recuperate without worrying about your . . . your partner."
That was it. Booth understood at that very moment what the problem was. He saw her eyes when she said 'your partner.' It wasn't that she was physically hurt. She was emotionally crushed. It was that one simple word, partner. He recalled that simple phrase in the emergency room and knew that this whole mess was his fault. 'Damn it Seeley,' he thought to himself. 'You managed to screw up 4 years worth of work in 40 seconds.' He knew the damage had been done and that he would be the one that had to fix it.
He nodded at her. He could spend the time and energy trying to apologize but knew they would simply fall on deaf ears. She didn't want to hear it. He'd have to show her. If he knew one thing, it was that Temperance Brennan gave trust away selectively. Right now, she didn't trust him so apologies would be futile. He only hoped that somehow, someway he could figure out a way to regain her trust.
"I'm sorry that you got hurt again, Bones," he said. He was careful not to apologize for doing anything wrong right now. "Can I do anything for you?" he asked. He kept his tone light and friendly.
"No, I don't think so," she answered. "I'm actually feeling markedly better," she went on. "Dr. Jameson said that I would just need to take things slowly until Monday or so. I'm sure I will be fine by then," she assured him. "I was just planning on working on my book some this afternoon and making a few phone calls. I am supposed to have a book signing in the mountains late next week. I need to confirm some reservations with my publicist."
He had his excuse to extend the first peace offering. "Alright, Bones. You know what? I took the day off. I'm going to run pick up some Thai and I'll be back shortly. Get all of your phone calls made and we can watch a movie. You don't need to work on your book today. All the typing could aggravate your ribs, you know, make the carpal tunnel worse or something," he said as he shot her a charm smile. He knew that carpal tunnel had nothing to do with the ribs but part of getting her back on his side, regaining her trust, would be getting under her skin.
"Booth, you know that carpal tunnel involves the carpal bones that make up the wrist. It has nothing to do with my fracture ribs," she fussed. "Besides, I don't have carpal tunnel."
"Whatever you say, Bones, whatever you say," he said as he headed out the door in search of metaphorical olive branches.
